Tillerson wraps up Asia trip on hopeful note, but uncertainties over North Korea remain

Tillerson wraps up Asia trip on hopeful note, but uncertainties over North Korea remain | 19 March 2017 | Secretary of State Rex Tillerson capped his Asia trip Sunday on a note of collaboration as leaders tried to reset the tense, uncertain relationship between China and the new Trump administration. President Xi Jinping called talks with Tillerson "productive" and said he believes ties can "move ahead in a constructive fashion in the new era." Tillerson met Xi at the conclusion of his six-day Asia tour, where he sought to pressure China on North Korea’s nuclear ambitions and defuse one of the biggest security threats facing the Trump administration. He told Xi, during a meeting at the Great Hall of the People on Tiananmen Square, that President Trump places a "very high value on the communications that have already occurred" between the two leaders and looks forward to enhanced understanding with a potential future visit. But in a sign of the challenges that remain, hours after the discussion, North Korea defiantly announced it had tested a rocket engine that its state media said had "historic significance."